Often times small businesses battle with finding cheap marketing ideas. Small businesses need to gain more profit, but need to be able to put out money for marketing. How do you find marketing money when you're barely clearing the bills? Here are 3 ideas to turn pennies into large profits.
Face-to-Face Flyers
Flyers can be created for just pennies a piece. While people don't always like to find flyers under their windshield wipers, they do like meeting business owners. Face-to-face time with customers is a great way to draw in business. If feasible, get out door to door in neighborhoods around your business. Once you have a chance to meet the people, leave them with a flyer. They will remember meeting you and have information to look over long after you have left.
Events and Open Houses
Through a special event. For example, during Halloween season, you could throw an open house. Rent an inflatable jumper, have things for people to do, refreshments and offer a peek at what you do. If you offer a service, have a demonstration on hand that plays over and over through the evening. Free events draw crowds. Events do not have to be expensive and can be done for less than an ad in the mainstream newspaper.
Mailers for After Hours Sales
Pick a section of town that you feel would be interested in your business. For example, if you have a specialty furniture store, pick a high dollar retirement neighborhood. Then send out exclusive invitations to them for an after hours sale. You can even print up the invitations yourself. Treat the invitations with as much class as a wedding invitation. You can pick up inexpensive gold lined envelopes, black ribbon and gold confetti from any office supply or even some dollar stores. Then have your staff dress the part. Serve punch and cookies on a table with real linens. Your customers will be surprised at any detail you give the party.
Marketing does not have to be expensive, it just has to be personal. Hand made invitations to events make for cheap, one-of-a-kind money-making marketing. Special events draw crowds that may not have been to your shop before. Flyers, when handed out face-to-face are a unique way of getting your face and business out to the public. People like different, personal marketing. There are a number of cheap marketing ideas for small business. The only thing that limits the ideas is your imagination, so get thinking and get creative.